


Secondhand Smoking

by ecarius



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh!, Yu-Gi-Oh! Series
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Implied/Referenced Suicide, M/M, Multi, Smoking, Soulmate-Identifying Marks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-09
Updated: 2014-09-09
Packaged: 2018-02-16 17:29:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,069
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2278461
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ecarius/pseuds/ecarius
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There’s nothing easy about having a soulmate with only half a soul.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Secondhand Smoking

When Kaiba selects a chair, he makes sure to pick the one downwind. But despite making the smart choice, he knows his suit’s still going to end up smelling like cigarette smoke.

“I thought you said you quit.”

“I’m quitting after this pack,” Yugi says with the shrug, tapping the half-empty pack sitting beside a spread of Egyptian hieroglyphs scans, typed articles, and loose-leaf notes. A mostly empty cup of coffee sits near Kaiba, next to an ashtray that’s easily within Yugi’s reach. Kaiba suspects he’s smoked half that pack today. It’s barely noon.

Reaching over, Yugi finishes his cigarette, presses the remains of it in the ashtray before leaning back in his chair, stretching out his arms above his head. His chair tips back, balances on its back two legs, and Kaiba grits his teeth, irritated at the blatant display of recklessness. After waiting for a moment, allowing Yugi his chance to touch back down, he gives into impulse and slams a hand on Yugi’s thigh, forcing him back to the ground.

Jerking away from his touch, Yugi reaches for another cigarette, grumbling, “Don’t touch me.”

Kaiba’s hand retreats. “Don’t try to bust your head open in front of me,” he snaps back.   

Yugi throws him a coy smile, “Everything I do seems to bother you. Why do you even bother checking up on me?” His lighter, silver with the eye of Horus incised on the side, sits right in front of Kaiba, and he takes it into his hands, just to keep Yugi from lighting another one of his damned cigarettes.

“You know why,” he says, watching Yugi shove his cigarette in his mouth. His eyes turn to the table, and he blinks, confused. Kaiba opens and closes the lid of the lighter with a _snap_. The sound draws Yugi’s eyes.

Sighing, Yugi’s shoulders slump. “Come _on_ ,” he says around his cigarette. “Just because you’re my—” He shakes his head, plucks the cigarette from his lips and begins again. “Just because you’re marked down on a sheet of paper as my soulmate doesn't mean you can boss me around, Kaiba.” He tries to appear angry, but Kaiba sees only desperation. Yugi wants him to drop the subject, wants him to hand over his precious lighter, wants him to leave him alone to his smoking and his ancient Egyptian tablets and his heartache.

Kaiba flips open the light with a _shink_ , closes it again. Yugi rolls the cigarette between his fingers, and his leg starts jumping up and down so much it shakes his chair and the table. “I want you to move into the mansion.”

“What?” Yugi’s voice rises an octave. “What the _hell?_ ”

“I know your lungs are shot to hell, Muto, but your ears are just fine.”

“Oh no you don't. You aren’t allowed to get snarky after dropping something like that on me,” Yugi snaps. His eyes, rimmed with day-old eyeliner, narrow.

“Oh my god. _Jou_.” Yugi lets out a bark of a laugh, runs a hand through his unruly hair. “Fuck,” he hisses, finally setting down his cigarette. “I hate that you two are actually _friends_ now.”

“You’re not the only one,” Kaiba says, lip curling. He’s played nice with the blond out of necessity, but his civility is paying off, has been paying off for years now. The information he receives from Jou always seems to be right on the mark, as much as he hates to admit.

Yugi’s eyes close, and he paws at his face, sliding further and further down the metal chair.

“Okay,” Yugi begins. “What did he tell you exactly? Because I promise it’s not nearly as bad as it sounded.”

_Shink._

“Kaiba,” Yugi prods, glaring at him as he crosses his arms. Kaiba is going to answer, has been building up to it, but the anger in him flares molten in his belly.

“I want to be with Atem again.”

Yugi sucks in a breath, wounded by the sudden blow. No cushioning words, no lead in. He hasn’t heard the name in so long, but Kaiba knows he carries it with him always. The hieroglyphs are etched into his skin, the result of a night and morning of excessive drinking, but worse, the name is embedded into his heart.

Kaiba wants him to hurt.

“I want to see him again.”

“Shut up,” Yugi says, voice cracking and breaking. “I got it, alright?”  He pulls himself back up in his seat, presses himself flat against the back as if seeking the support of something solid.

Kaiba flicks open the lighter, lights the flame, and stares at it a moment before closing it again. “How were you thinking of doing it this time?” Kaiba knows he’s being nasty. Mokuba would be appalled that he’s taking this approach, especially after he promised to keep to his own brand of gentleness. But coddling Yugi seems to be getting him nowhere.

“Shut up.” The words are weaker.

“I’m not going through this again with you,” Kaiba says, picturing Yugi on stark white hospital sheets. The beeping of the monitor has always unnerved Kaiba, but like everything, he had soldiered on through his discomfort. All for the man who bore the same mark as him, nestled in just above the crook in his elbow.

Yugi scoffs, but his eyes are wet. He won’t look at Kaiba. “Then go. I told you, I can’t do anything for you.”

_Shink._

_Shink._

_Shink._

“Do you think he’d be happy?” Kaiba tries. He hates to acknowledge the existence of the other, but there are times when it is unavoidable.

“Fuck off.” The words aren’t as strong as Yugi obviously wants them to be. “And give me my lighter.”

Kaiba responds by slipping it in his breast pocket, and Yugi recoils. Going quiet for a while, Yugi stares at the items spread out on the table.

“I want you at the mansion.”

Shuddering, Yugi covers his eyes with a hand, but Kaiba can see the tears dripping off his chin already. “I never wanted anyone else.”

Silent, Kaiba nods.

“I’ve never wanted anyone else,” Yugi says, uncovering his eyes. He looks at Kaiba, his soulmate, with tears running down his cheeks. His eye-liner is a mess, but Kaiba’s glad to finally hear the words.

He nods again.

“Come to the mansion.”

Yugi stares at him a moment, shakes his head, and stares at a scan of hieroglyphs.

 “Yeah.”


End file.
